Newbie Member

Greetings all... New member here from Gainesville, Georgia, and also a new GMC owner....See, wha hat happen was....I was simply going on a short fishing trip in my 2003 Chevy Cavalier that my dear mother gave me due to her inability to drive anymore, drove to the boat ramp here on Lake Lanier, left the keys in the ignition, as I have always done, didn't think anything about it, came back 30 minutes later, and you guessed it...GONE... That happened on Good Friday, and the car hasn't been seen since...About a quarter mile up the street from my house, I see a good looking GMC pick-up for sale in a neighbors front yard. I stop to check it out, and he wants $4000 for it...Claims to have a newly rebuilt engine and transmission, so I take her for a spin...Really clean truck that he says has been garaged for the last 10 years, and he had the engine rebuilt "just to have something to do"..He is the original owner, as he still has all receipts and paperwork from where he bought the truck brand new....She runs fine, so I decide to buy the truck for $3900. Well yesterday, I decided to check the passing gear, and punch the pedal to the floor...I get several back fires, and the engine dies...I call him back, and explain what the symptoms were, and he had no idea....I finally get the distributor lock bolt loose, and tweek the distributor just a tad...WORSE....just a tad the other way, and she seems to purr nicely....Back to the street, and punch her and got a sweet response this time....I will still take her into a friends shop tomorrow to have him check the timing....I think I got a good deal, as you can tell the engine is freshly rebuilt from the condition of the cylinder heads as viewed from the oil filler cap...SPOTLESS... Oh, as far as me, Im an 18 year aircraft maintenance technician for Southwest Airlines here at Atlantas Hartsfield airport...Been a mechanic all of my life, mostly cars and vintage British motorcycles...Had to sell my totally resurrected 1972 Triumph Bonneville in order to buy a vehicle to get back and forth to work...I still own my 2005 Triumph "America", which just celebrated 62,000 miles, and still like brand new....Love the site so far, and look forward to contributing and learning about my new truck...I'll try to get a pic of her...She's a SWEETIE~~~1985 GMC S-15....22,750 on odometer....

I remember when I was a kid we used to leave our doors unlocked and you could trust that people wouldn't try to steal your stuff. Nowdays it seems like you need to have everything under 24/7 survalience! Sorry about your car, looks like you've got something in that truck though. Hopefully it was just something simple like you mentioned. Post some pictures when you get a minute.

I have a rather "Urgent" situation with my truck, the 1985 GMC Sierra Classic, that I can't seem to get an answer from any other threads...Im sure there's someone here that is familiar with my trucks symptoms....It's my only ride to work, which is 72 miles of interstate...The engine and transmission was taken out by the original owner about 7 years ago, and overhauled by local shops (Jasper Engine, and a transmission shop, he had receipts)....The transmission shifts fine from first through 3rd, but will not shift into the overdrive gear until 57 mph, or about 5000 rpm, and the interstate is HORRIBLE....If Im in overdrive at 65 mph, and encounter even the slightest grade, the transmission will shift down into 3rd, and of coarse the engine RPM'S go to like 6000 RPM....I've already done the rigging of the TV cable per the Haynes manual AND info obtained from the internet, and no help.....I think there has to be some kind of vacuum switch that may control the shifting of the transmission using some type of vacuum input, but I have no clue...I have found a couple of connectors hanging from the firewall area, but have no idea where they go or connect to...also some vacuum hoses that are plugged, and nipples with no hoses going to them...This is kind of urgent, as it is my only way to work....If anyone has ANY IDEAS as to what I should check next, please call me, or respond here....Thanks a million...(404) 444-6077 "Mark", anytime.....URGENT!!